Cursed

In Gilded we learned that at her birth Serilda was given a gift, or maybe it's a curse, by the God of Lies and Fortune Wyrdith. In the iris of each of Serilda's eyes there is a golden spoked wheel. That, however, is not the gift -- it is only its sign. Her gift is that she is a storyteller, and the stories she tells are true. For example, at the school where she assists she told the children stories about the sour, crabby old teacher Madam Sauer. In Serilda's stories, Madam Sauer was a witch. Later it transpires that Madam Sauer is a witch. Whatever story Serilda tells turns out to be true -- turns out, in fact, to have always been true. Do Serilda's stories alter reality or merely reveal it? Is Madam Sauer a witch because Serilda's stories made her one, or is it merely her gift to speak truth when telling a story? If this were not fiction, it would be an interesting philosophical question whether those two possibilities are in fact distinct. Indeed, if we call it a hypothetical rather than fiction, it remains an interesting philosophical question.The core of Marissa Meyer's Gilded duology, Gilded and Cursed, is a retelling of Rumpelstitskin, much augmented by plot elements from other folkloric sources, not to mention Meyer's fertile imagination. Most of the event of the classic Rumpelstitskin story already occurred in Gilded. Serilda is the miller's daughter. The greedy King who asks her to spin gold for him is the child-stealing Erlkönig of German and Scandinavian stories. In Meyer's story, the Erlking also leads the Wild Hunt. The actual goldspinner is a poltergeist called Gild who haunts the castle of the Erlking. He and Serilda fall in love. As Cursed begins, Serilda is pregnant with Gild's child.In the classic tale the King marries the miller's daughter, and she has a child, which she had promised to the goldspinner in exchange for his services. In the classic tale the goldspinner is a "kleines Männchen" -- a little manikin. He shows up to claim the child and she begs to keep her child. The goldspinner tells her that he will let her keep the child if she can find out his true name. The miller's daughter, now the Queen, does that and everyone except the goldspinner lives happily ever after.Those events form the outline of one plot line of Cursed. Serilda's lover Gild takes the place of the goldspinner of the classic tale and is a hero of Meyer's story. There are, however, other plot lines involving the Erlking and what he wants -- his desire to bring back his lover Perchta from death, and a plan to free himself and the Wild Hunt from the constraints under which the gods have bound them.Why is Cursed extraordinary? Well, first, the plot is intricate and works. Meyer puts a lot of balls in the air, keeps them all moving, and catches them cleanly at the end. It is a display of virtuosity I never tire of, when it is done really well, which it seldom is. (I was particularly impressed with the way in which she wove the naming of the spinner into the plot.) Second, Serilda is an appealing heroine. I couldn't help liking her, admiring her, and feeling for her and wanting her to win. Third, I really loved the concept of the story-teller making the story true. It is thought-provoking and also produces brilliant plot twists.

In the sequel of Gilded, a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, we continue to follow the magical story of Serilda after she was taken by the Erlking and forced to spin straw into gold. The Erlking plans are far more twisted than we expected in the first book.In this sequel the story is more focused on the Erlking story with the gods and how he lost his lover. There aren’t many scenes with Serilda and Gild but the ones that exist are full of love and so sweet.Marissa Meyer is such a unique storyteller, capable of engulfing us in her magical worlds. If you like retellings, you have to give this story a chance because it’s so rich and full of magic, with very loveable characters and a twisty plot to die for. Truly amazing.

These books were dark, but I found myself unable to stop reading. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Overall, I recommend!

Such a great take on the story of Rumpelstiltzken! Obviously starts with book one. But this is a well developed, well written tale!

Maybe the most engaging book series I read in years! The first book, the beginning of this riveting story gives its place to a book strong in character development and plot as the first. Meyer is a master in recreating classic fairytales and this is her best work so far. The books deconstruct the tale we all know and built new paths only to surprise with twists and turns until the pieces of the story fall back in place. A story filled with magic mystery and characters the one more fascinating than the other!Cursed will satisfy your appetite for the proper conclusion to a powerful story and answer all the questions the first book creates in the most unpredictable yet fulfilling finale.

Cursed is the conclusion of Marissa Meyer’s Gilded series, a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I loved Gilded and could not wait for this conclusion. And Meyer did not disappoint. This book had everything. I loved all the characters and I love how Meyer brought them and the setting to life. I loved Serilda and Gild as much as the first book. Though I did miss the banter they had. As this story progressed it did take a dark turn. There were parts that I thought the pace was a bit slow. But by the end of the book I was flying through and did get a bit teary eyed.Don’t want to say anything to spoil this book or the first one. So I will just say if you love fairytale retellings and have enjoyed Marissa Meyer’s other books the. I think you should definitely check out this series.

I am so impressed with Marissa Meyer's ability to weave together fascinating characters, creative imaginary worlds and classic fairy tale stories. She did it masterfully in the four books that make up the The Lunar Chronicles and now she has done it again with the Gilded Duology - Gilded and Cursed.I will not say much about the story because I don't want to spoil a moment of it for the reader but I will say the following:Definitely read Gilded before reading Cursed.If you liked -but did not love- Gilded, I still highly recommend Cursed. I actually found it the more enjoyable of the two.i disagree with the reviews that criticized the pacing (I thought it was perfect) and the one that said Serilda was a weak main character. I thought the exact opposite. She displayed amazing strength of will and great courage throughout.The dark elements are pretty dark in these books and some of the imagery is grotesque. For that reason I would not recommend them for anyone younger than 12.If you are unsure about whether or not to buy, use the Look Inside This Book feature. It gives you enough of the book to know if you will enjoy the writing style.Happy reading!

Beautiful sprayed edges and came in wonderful condition

Eu li o primeiro livro da duologia em quatro dias. Foi amor a primeira vista. Eu amo livros que são retellings de contos de fada, e fui tomada pela curiosidade assim que vi que era sobre o Rumpelstiltskin. E posso dizer que o primeiro livro superou as minhas expectativas. Eu gostei tanto do livro, fiquei tão apaixonada, tão envolvida que não consegui colocar o livro de lado até eu terminar. E quando eu terminei, eu só pensava que eu precisava de mais, mais, MAIS! O que foi o final do primeiro livro? Roubou meu fôlego e me deixou muitíssimo ansiosa para ler a continuação.O primeiro livro eu li em quatro dias, essa continuação, apesar de não estar traduzido, eu li em dois dias. E não me arrependi em nada, valeu a pena ter pego o livro mesmo em inglês! Eu achei o livro tão envolvente, tão maravilhoso, que eu simplesmente não consegui abaixar o livro enquanto eu não o terminava. Ao final de cada capítulo era praticamente um tiro diferente, e eu devorei um atrás do outro, até chegar ao final.Gosto muito dos personagens secundários, como a Lorraine e a Frieda, gostei DEMAIS delas, achei muito fofo a construção da relação e também a representação. E a Leyna? Quando ela aparece para levar a "oferenda" para a Serilda eu achei tão amável, quase chorei.A Marissa faz magia com as palavras. Que livro maravilhoso! Eu não tenho nada a reclamar. Os plotwists no livro são muito bons, me deixaram embasbacada, literalmente de queixo caído! Eu amo o Gild, amo demais, acho que ele é um dos meus mocinhos favoritos do livro. Ele é um lindo, tem um coração tão grande... Ai Gild, eu te amo, queria muito que você existisse de verdade! Apesar de às vezes ele ficar um pouco de fundo, já que o livro é sobre a Serilda, o Gild de conquista pouco a pouco. Eu acredito que é impossível não amá-lo, não torcer por ele, sofrer por ele, querer abraçar e consolar ele.O que falar sobre os 7 deuses? Eu gostei muito deles também, mas principalmente de Velos. Eu me apaixonei por ele. E o que falar sobre o Erlking?Sim, ele é desprezível! Sim, ele é o vilão, mas o amor dele pela Perchta é muito bonito de ver. Ele é do tipo de vilão que "sacrificaria o mundo todo por você" e eu não vou mentir, eu amei isso! Erlking, você não vale nada, mas eu te amo, viu? Eu ficaria com você. Eu seria a sua mortal bride. Me nota!A Serilda é uma das melhores personagens que eu ja li. Eu chorei com ela, senti a dor dela. Eu amei, amei, amei o livro!Recomendo demais. Se tivesse mais um, eu leria sem dúvidas.

“All Magic comes at a price, are you willing to sacrifice that which you love most?”Cursed By Marissa Meyer with a snoozy PuddinThis is the sequel to Gilded, a reimagining of the classic Rumpelstiltskin fairy-tale, but so much darker & twistier! We once again follow Serilda, the silver-tongued storyteller, determined to free herself, Gild, & all those who have been trapped in Adelheid Castle by the evil Erlking and his court of demons & monsters. If you’re expecting a fun & sweet fairy-tale retelling then this duology won’t be for you! It without a doubt harkens back to more Brothers Grim style stories. It’s a classic tale of good VS evil, with no form of redemption or sympathy for the villains, which is honestly a refreshing change. This was an enchanting read the whole way through, however the last third of the book really amps up the tension & ominous vibes, setting the scene for some amazing chapters full of reveals & shocks. Marissa did such a beautiful job with the world & character building, she without a doubt has a silver tongue of her own to weave such tales. There are stories within stories in this book as Serilda weaves tales presumably from thin air for the sweet children under her charge who she will do anything to free. I loved all the descriptions of the different mythical creatures, both the nightmarish ones & the beautiful ones, the descriptions are written so well I can perfectly picture them in my minds eye & what I wouldn’t give to have the talent to draw them. I was a little sad when the story finished, & wished for more of an epilogue when it was finished, but I will absolutely be rereading this in the future!

Loved the first book. Couldn't put it down and i hoped the sequel would blow me away too. But the mc just frustrated me to no end. She seemed so dense sometimes and I felt like a lot of the story was so repetitive and slooow moving. In the end I skipped half the book and even got a refund. I'm really disappointed, because I like the authors other books and this was so promising...

I loved the first book but I DNF finish this because I found it way too dark for me with disturbing scenes.I didn’t identify with any of the characters and the plot just went of course. The outlook was bleak.It’s a shame because it’s such a gorgeous book!!!